


Warning: Wild Animals May Appear

by StupidGenius



Series: Signs of Magic [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Deaf Stiles Stilinski, Deputy Laura Hale, Dreams and Nightmares, Hispanic Hales, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Magical trees!! Old powerful Sorcerers!!! All that good shit, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, POV Alternating, The Nemeton - Freeform, Witch Stiles Stilinski, an implied dragon, more tags to come, some light sleep deprivation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-10-13 12:26:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17488031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StupidGenius/pseuds/StupidGenius
Summary: “I left you a gift. Did you find it?” She asks. He shakes his head.‘No. Where is it?’“I can’t tell you that, baby. You have to find it on your own.” She sighs, reaching out. Her eyes glow gold in the moonlight. His ears ring. “My beautiful boy…what have Idone?”He wakes up.---Stiles thought that after the whole pack fight mess last year, things would be a lot easier from here on out. He was so,sowrong.





	1. Chapter one – Reoccurring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still trying to figure out how many chapters this one'll be, but I'm glad you guys liked the last one! I've been busy rewatching a uh, certain show that you'll maybe definitely see how it influenced this fic in the later chapters. 
> 
> enjoy!

It's been a year since what Stiles has been referring to in his head as ‘the Dark Ages’. Really, it wasn’t even a full month, but it brought about some changes and phobias he really wished he didn’t have. A huge aversion to people touching his wrists for one. Which you’d think wouldn’t be too big of a problem, but even hand-holding makes his skin crawl and heart hammer after a few minutes, which he’s not really a fan off.  He used to have some rather vivid daydreams of Derek pinning him against a wall and, well – that can’t exactly happen how he pictured now. Not that they don’t do, um. Similar activities.

Whatever.

Since then, some things have changed.

Boyd, Erica, _and_ Scott and Isaac have all joined the Hale pack. Erica and Boyd, Stiles had been expecting. A week after baby Malia was born, after the full moon, there was – in Stiles’ opinion – a kind of over the top welcoming ceremony, and Talia bit Erica, and by the next morning they had two new wolves. Erica struggled with control at first, but he was strong, and determined. Plus, she didn’t like the idea of a six year old having more control than her. But the night Isaac and Scott were turned…was somewhat traumatic.

Four months ago, Isaac’s biological father had decided the best thing to do fresh out of prison was go find his only living son and try to kill him, basically. Stiles wont really get into everything that happened that night, but long story short, it was hard to keep the whole ‘magic and werewolves’ secret a, you know, _secret_ when Isaac’s girlfriend comes into the house snarling and snapping with her Alpha in tow, because she’d known Isaac was being hurt even from her house. The whole thing triggered one of Scott’s worst asthma attacks, and there had been a lot of panicking (on Stiles’ part), and a very rushed explanation of werewolfism in general before both the boys got the Bite™.

He doesn’t like to get into it.

One other thing that’s changed since then is Stiles’ place in the Pack. As of last week, he’s been the official Hale Pack Witch.

And Derek’s boyfriend. There’s that, too.

 _‘What’s this?’_ Derek holds up another flashcard, his hand blocking the picture on the card, and Stiles feels kind of like baby Malia, or maybe Oliver.

 _‘Um.’_ He squints his eyes. Derek stares at him expectantly. _‘I feel like I should know this one.’_

 _‘Yeah.’_ Derek rolls his eyes and uncovers the picture.

 _‘Wolf!’_ Stiles grins. Next to him, Malia copies his sign, then – judging by Derek’s wince – makes a high pitched squeal and repeats it again and again.

“ _Yeah, wolf_.” Derek smiles at him. He flashes his eyes, and Malia claps, flashing hers back.

Malia is sort of a mystery. Normally, wolves present sometime between their eight to eleventh birthdays, but she started flashing her eyes a few weeks after she was born. So far, it’s all she can do, but it’s still weird enough that Deaton left him a ton of leads to follow up on regarding early development. It’s kind of annoying, how much Deaton just dumped on him before running off to live with his sister in fuck knows where.

He’s handling it, though.

He has to be.

‘ _Laura’s introducing her new girlfriend today._ ’ Derek tells him. Stiles straightens up.

‘ _I didn’t even know she was dating anyone._ ’

 _‘None of us knew until yesterday – apparently her girlfriend’s in college, and they’re kind of long distance._ ’ He sighs. ‘She didn’t think mom would approve. And she was right. But she’s not going to judge too hard until she actually meets this girl.’

‘ _Does her girlfriend…know? About werewolves?_ ’ Stiles wonders.

He still remembers how long it took the Hales to tell _him_ about it, and he’d been in the family for _years_ at that point.

At this rate, that girl’ll find out after her and Laura’s wedding day.

‘ _We don’t know. Laura said she doesn’t think so, but it’s harder to tell over text._ ’ Derek rolls his eyes. He perks up, looking towards the door. Stiles knows who it is without turning. Partially because of his magic, and practically because of baby Malia’s burst of movement and flashing eyes.

Lee smiles at them as she enters, wrapping her baby up in her arms.

“ _Hey boys. Talia wants you both downstairs setting the table for brunch before Laura gets here._ ” Derek translates. “We’ll be down in a second.” He tells her. Once she leaves, Derek leans over and noses at his temple.

‘ _Someone’s affectionate today._ ’ He giggles, wrapping his arms around him. Derek sighs, and Stiles can feel it vibrate his chest.

‘ _You look kind of tired. You okay?_ ’

‘ _I’m fine._ ’ Stiles shrugs. ‘ _Didn’t get much sleep last night. Although, that might be because_ you _weren’t in bed with me._ ’ He wags his eyebrows, and Derek just laughs.

‘ _I keep you away from home anymore and your dad’ll kill me._ ’

‘ _He would never. He knows how unhappy that would make me._ ’ Stiles leans forward and presses their lips together with a happy sigh.

Even after a year of being with him, he still can’t get enough. His heart doesn’t race every time Derek enters the room anymore, and his stomach doesn’t erupt in butterflies, but sometimes…

It still feels like magic.

Derek hums against his lisp and pushes away before Stiles can move it any further, shaking his head.

‘ _Come on. Let’s get downstairs before my mom sends Abuela to come get us._ ’ Derek says. Stiles winces.

Yeah, they better get moving.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Laura ends up arriving later than planned, so the ‘brunch’ can’t exactly be a brunch anymore.

‘ _I think you guys are gonna need a bigger table soon._ ’ Stiles raises his eyebrows, sanding off to the side.

Technically, only seven Hales live in the house, but everyone lives close enough that they come over at least twice a week. The table is meant for ten people, and there’s just enough space for two more chairs, which would be fine if Stiles wasn’t here, and if Cora and Isaac weren’t also coming home for the summer today. The kids old enough to eat on their own have their own table, and Malia and Oliver have high chairs by their parent’s usual seats.

The dinning room is a mess, basically.

‘ _Try telling that to my mom. Grandpa made this table._ ’ Derek sighs. Stiles hums.

‘ _You know, I bet a I could magic up a long table._ ’ He waves his fingers, sparks dancing between them. Derek watches them warily.

_‘Don’t know if that’s a good idea.’_

_‘Aw, babe, you don’t trust me to do some simple transmutation?’_

_‘Not since the last time you did some ‘simple transmutation’ on my car and turns it into a_ horse _._ ’ Derek gives him a flat stare, and Stiles rolls his eyes.

‘ _Okay, okay. No magic. But I could_ –’ He cuts himself off, feeling a dull pull in his chest. He frowns, turning towards the door.

Something’s coming.

He can sense…something. Magic he’s never really felt before. Whatever (or _whoever_ ) it is, it didn’t know it accidently tripped one of his alarms in the preserve. He can see Derek waving out of the corner of his eye and lips a finger to his lips, inching closer to the door. He doesn’t know how to describe what he’s sensing, exactly. Not malicious, but…not exactly good.

The door opens.

Laura grins when she sees him, looking excited and nervous. Talia brushes past to greet them, and when Laura moves out of the way, Stiles can finally see her.

Laura’s girlfriend.

She looks more put together than Stiles would expect from anyone Laura dates. Not a single thing is out of place, from her perfectly polished shoes to her wavy red hair. And when she flips her hair over her shoulder, it all clicks.

He knows her.

Or, he thinks he does.

One doesn’t tend to forget their first crush _that_ easily, though to be fair, he hasn’t seen her since he was seven.

“’I’m Stiles, Derek’s boyfriend.’” Derek translates for him when she goes up to him. she takes his hand and her eyes widen a little before she drop it quickly. Stiles reaches out hesitantly in concern.

“Sorry.” She still looks a bit shaken, but she smiles and cocks her head. “I just… we went to [can’t read], didn’t we?” She asks. Stiles can only guess.

“’Lydia?’”

She nods.

Stiles watches her warily throughout the brunch. She’s definitely the source of the weird magic he’s been sensing. But she doesn’t seem to have any magic – he would have known when they touched. So what _is_ it?

‘ _Laura’s afraid you don’t like her_.’ Derek says later, while they’re clearing the table. Stiles shakes his head.

‘ _I do. Lydia’s great._ ’ And she does _seem_ to be. She gets along fine with Talia, and Erik, and even Abuela. Her and Cora know each other from Beacon Hills high. But she’s been shooting Stiles these curious looks when she thinks he can’t see, and its setting him on edge. If she was really evil, he’d know by now. Wouldn’t he?

‘ _I sense a ‘but’ in there somewhere._ ’ Derek raises an eyebrow. Stiles grins.

‘ _You really wanna sense a butt, you should get your hands over here._ ’

Derek groans. ‘ _Tempting, but not around my family._ ’

‘ _Come on, we’re the only ones here!_ ’ he turns some more, so Derek has a perfect view of his frankly amazing ass. Derek bites his lip.

‘ _Werewolf hearing, remember?_ ’

“Ugh.” Stiles huffs. The idea of being able to hear like most people is wild enough, but hearing heartbeats? Hearing people across the street? That’s unfathomable. ‘ _How do you all stand it?_ ’

‘ _Grew up with it._ ’ Derek shrugs. He gives Stiles a stern look. ‘ _Stop trying to distract me! What’s wrong? And I know something is, don’t try and deny it._ ’

‘ _It’s just…_ ’ he sighs, ‘ _when she got close to the house, I felt_ something. _Magic. But I can’t identify it. Usually, when a magic user comes into the preserve, I can tell what kind they are. Like Elliot. I could tell they were a witch and how powerful they were within a few moments of meeting them. It’s the reason mom knew I needed to be trained – witches like me can sense other magic users nearby, with enough training. But when she came by…I don’t know._ ’ He frowns. ‘ _It’s bothering me._ ’

‘ _You think she’s going to hurt Laura? Or us?_ ’ Derek asks quickly, angry scowl on his face. Stiles shakes his head.

‘ _No, no…I’m starting to think she doesn’t even know she has magic. It might not even be coming from her – maybe something she has on her is charmed and she doesn’t realize._ ’ He takes a deep breath. ‘ _Maybe I’m just over reacting. I haven’t been sleeping very well lately._ ’

‘ _I noticed_.’ Derek comes closer and puts a hand on his cheek, and Stiles hums. “ _You know I love you, right?_ ” He murmurs. Stiles smiles.

_‘Of course.’_

_‘You’ll tell me what’s really bothering you when you’re ready? Because I doubt me not being there is the reason you’re not sleeping._ ’ Derek asks. Stiles gives him a quick kiss and nods.

‘ _You’ll be the first to know._ ’

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles doesn’t usually dream in sound.

He doesn’t remember how his mother sounds, exactly. It’s been nearly twelve years since he could hear her clearly, and ten since the last time she was around to speak at all. But sometimes, in his dreams of her, he hears her. Or at least, if feels like he does. Her lips move, and he knows what she’s saying. Or, maybe, the concept of it.

Now, he sees her.

She’s sitting on a stump in the preserve, hair in a sloppy bun, dirty overalls on, feet bare. She pats the empty space next to her, but he can’t move.

“I left you a gift. Did you find it?” She asks. He shakes his head.

_‘No. Where is it?’_

“I can’t tell you that, baby. You have to find it on your own.” She sighs, reaching out. Her eyes glow gold in the moonlight. His ears ring. “My beautiful boy…what have I _done_?”

He wakes up.


	2. Chapter Two - I Might Be Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘ _I see._ ’ Derek says, expression blank and cryptic. Stiles blinks at him.
> 
> God, has he been taking lessons from Deaton?
> 
> Stiles waits for him to answer, or just say anything, but he doesn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is going to be a bit short but they're def gonna get longer. Enjoy!

Stiles loves the Hales dearly.

He had always dreamed of what it would be like to have a big family, growing up. Not that he didn’t love his life when it was just his mom and dad and him, or even when it was just him and dad. But he’d still wondered. The Hales accepted him with open arms, and when Cora told him she stayed up all night looking up different signs online and where she could learn, he almost cried. No one aside from his parents had been so willing and ready to learn how to communicate with him. Talia and Eryk feel like a third set of parent (Because he could never forget about Mama McCall). Laura and Daniel might as well be his older siblings. He loves playing with he kids and teaching them and giving piggy back rides.

That being said.

They can be a bit much at times.

It’s not their fault. They’re a close family, and a werewolf pack on top of it. They’re used to knowing everyone’s business, and always trying to help.  But stiles just wants to be _alone with his boyfriend_ sometimes. Even just the illusion of being alone would be nice.

‘ _Do you ever think about leaving?_ ’ Stiles wonders. They’re outside, and they _were_ alone – for the first five minutes, anyway. Now the kids are playing, and Daniel and Elliot are chatting by a tree.

‘ _What do you mean?_ ’ Derek frowns. Stiles moves back.

‘ _I mean…do you ever think about, like, getting an apartment? Away from here? Not outside of Beacon Hills, but…somewhere that’s just yours._ ’ He almost says ‘ours’ and his hands falter.

‘ _I don’t know.’ Derek says slowly, brows furrowed. ‘I mean, I planned on doing it eventually. Why?_ ’

‘ _But how far from now is eventually?_ ’

‘ _Stiles_.’ Derek raises an eyebrow. ‘ _Why are you asking?_ ’

‘ _You know I love your family right? They’re basically my family too. I mean, we’re pack._ ’ He starts. Derek nods slowly. ‘ _I just…_ ’ he groans in frustration and runs a hand through his hair. ‘ _I’m still…not used to so many people…around all the time._ ’ He finally huffs. ‘ _When I was just Cora’s friend, sure we had sleepovers, but I wasn’t here every day. I had school and my own home and other friends and now… I love them a lot, but I didn’t expect to feel so overwhelmed staying here for the month._ ’ His cheeks heat. ‘ _And we’re never, like…alone._ ’

‘ _I see._ ’ Derek says, expression blank and cryptic. Stiles blinks at him.

God, has he been taking lessons from Deaton?

Stiles waits for him to answer, or just say anything, but he doesn’t. He just looks over at the kids playing. Lilah’s showing off her newly developed claws and fangs, flashing bright golden eyes at her little brother.

Stiles feels a familiar pull in his chest, and looks behind him to see Lydia coming out, Laura’s hand in hers.

She’s been coming by every day for the past week, though Stiles doesn’t spend much time with her, he’s learned a few things:

  * The magic is _definitely_ coming from her, not an object
  * She has no idea



He’s been alone with her before, and he’s pretty sure that if she _knew_ she had magic, she would have said something to him. Acknowledged him, or maybe at least told Laura and the pack about it, because if she knew about her magic, she’d also no doubt know about the Hales. He’d been up nearly all night last night going through Deaton’s books, looking for anything that would even hint at what she is. But everything in the books Deaton gave him are about witches, and Stiles is starting to think maybe she _isn’t_ one.

Maybe she’s something else.

‘ _I’m…gonna go get some water._ ’ Stiles finally says. Derek just nods, still on with that infuriatingly blank look. Stiles shakes his head and goes into the kitchen.

It’s only by accident that Lydia bumped into him.

It’s hot out. Of course, she’d probably want a drink too.

He feels a surge of magic when her hand brushes against him, so different from the magic he’s felt before. He turns, watching her stumble. She quickly steadies herself, rubbing a circle into her chest with her fist.

“ _Sorry_.” She says. He blinks, kind of surprised. He didn’t expect her to learn anything for him, but then again, Lydia had always been the smartest. At least, that’s what he remembers.

‘ _It’s fine._ ’ He signs slowly, sure that it’s easy to read on his mouth. She hesitates.

“Can you…lip read?” She asks. He narrows his eyes, and nods. “I know it’s nowhere near perfect, lip reading, but…” She frowns. “Have you…been in the preserve…lately?” She asks haltingly. Stiles cocks his head to the side. “I’ve just heard horror stories about the things that happen here. I’m kind of afraid to [can’t read] around alone.”

Stiles holds up a finger and types on his phone.

‘I know the animal attacks seem scary, but they don’t happen that often.’ He shows her, than remembers. ‘Anymore, anyway. But then, you should know that.’

“I’ve always avoided the preserve.” She looks down at her empty glass. “My grandma never liked it. I’m not sure why.”

‘I’ve been coming by for years, but I get that it can be scary.’ He types. She stares at him for a moment, then straightens abruptly and flips her hair over her shoulders, expression going to cautious to calm.

“Thanks, Stiles.” She quickly fills her glass and leaves.

Stiles…really doesn’t know what to make of this.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Have you found it yet, baby?” Mom asks. Stiles wants to reach out, touch her, but his feet are rooted to the spot.

_‘No. What is it, mom?’_

“I can’t –”

He wakes up.

 _Again_.

Derek stirs next to him, and Stiles snuggles closer and tries to fall back asleep.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, Stiles decides he’s done with going through Deaton’s obnoxiously worded journals. If Stiles wanted to be confused by a piece of paper, he’d go to the library and ask for academic journals, or maybe ask Daniel about some complicated math. Some of the books Deaton gave him aren’t even in English. He already knows two languages, he’s not sure if he has toe concertation and focus needed for a third.

He asks if the Hales have any books on the supernatural, and Eryk gives him a look like Stiles just said he thinks the sky is green.

“Stiles…” Eryk scratches his head. “ _We have a library._ ”

‘ _A library._ ’ Stiles repeats. ‘ _Are you sure?_ ’

“ _Yes, I’m sure_. I helped build it.” He frowns. “ _I thought you knew._ ”

‘ _I didn’t!_ ’ he can’t believe this. A _library_. Right under his nose. And Derek never said anything.

Eryk leads him down into the basement, which is another thing Stiles didn’t know about – the door was in Talia’s home office, but still. He’s been coming here for _years_.

“This is it.” Eryk says, holding out his hands. The Library is about as big as a small book store, and takes up most of the basement. There are a few small windows long the top of the back wall, the light catching on the dust in the air, and a single worn table and chair. The other half looks a lot like a sort of jail, and Stiles is totally asking about that later. He runs his finger down the spin of an obviously old, leather bound book, and looks back at Mr. Hale.

‘ _No one told me about this._ ’

“We tend to _keep it a secret. These books don’t just hold the Hale pack history_. It may be the most detailed collection of bestiaries in the continent.” He pats Stiles’ shoulder. “Good luck, kid.”

He has no idea where he should even start looking for whatever Lydia is.

He takes a deep breath and starts towards the books on the right, but something moves in the corner of his eyes, and startles, turning around.

A book fell. It kicked up a cloud of dust that leaves stiles wondering just how long isn’t been since anyone has been down here, let alone one of the wolves. Derek would be sneezing up a storm if he was down here. He picks up the book, inspecting it. It looks older than most, cracks in the leather, and papers sticking out.

“Stiles.” He hears.

Wait a second.

He _hears_?

He jumps, heart hammering.

What the fuck? What the _fuck_?

He waits, breath stuck in his throat, for another sound. He drops the book on the floor, just to make sure, snaps his fingers by his ears.

Yup, still deaf.

So what the hell was _that_?


	3. Chapter Three – Prophecies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No, I know, he would never – you know he’s not the type to push. Though he _is_ the type to bottle everything up until it’s too much for him.” Derek huffs. Boyd laughs quietly.
> 
> “Him, or you?”
> 
> Derek scowls at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Went to see a movie that came out recently and it has influenced the ending. It was v good but telling would prob be a spoiler so you guys’ll find out later lol
> 
> this chapter is in Derek's POV

Stiles has always been the type to try and hide when something’s wrong. Derek would be lying if he said he wasn’t the exact same way. But _god_ is it incredibly annoying. Derek’s his _boyfriend_. He just wants to help him – and its obvious that he needs some help. Looking at him now, he basically dead on his feet, five second from face planting his bowl of chips. The dark circles under his eyes are also a pretty obvious sign.

He taps him on the shoulder, and Stiles jolts.

‘ _Are you okay?_ ’ he tries, for the umpteenth time. He feels like a broken record.

‘ _Yeah, I’m fine._ ’ He signs lazily, blinking slowly. Derek rolls his eyes.

‘ _Try that again. You’re about to fall asleep on your food, Stiles._ ’ He leans over the counter. ‘ _Just…tell me what’s going on. I want to help you._ ’

‘ _It’s nothing. Just bad dreams. I’m fine! I’ll get over it._ ’ Stiles huffs, clearing annoyed.

‘ _But they’re obviously bothering you._ ’

‘ _YOU are bothering me._ ’

_‘Hey!_ ’ he scowls. ‘ _I’m not asking to annoy you – I’m worried about you. We all are. You look like death warmed over, and you’ve spent the past few days holed up in the library. Are you still trying to figure out what’s wrong with Lydia?_ ’

‘ _Gee, thanks for the boost of confidence babe._ ’ Stiles stands abruptly, looking angry. Derek has no idea where this is coming from – though he’s not exactly surprised. Stiles has been acting weird ever since Lydia first arrived, but _especially_ since dad first showed him the library. Laura is too enamored by her new girlfriend to notice, and everyone else has jobs or their own homes, but he and Cora and the betas have noticed. Scott even texted him to ask if they were fighting, and Scott _never_ texts him.

‘ _You know what? I think I’m gonna go for a walk._ ’ Stiles pushes the stool against the bar roughly, making it screech, and Derek winces.

‘ _No wait –’_

_‘I think I won’t, actually._ ’

“ _Stiles!_ ’ He grabs his wrist to stop him, which he knows – _he knows_ – is a mistake the second he does it, but before he can let go, or apologize, or anything.

Stiles’ eyes glow gold, and suddenly Derek’s on the floor.

“Woah!” Cora and Isaac appear at the top of the stairs, and Derek hears the door slam shut and groans.

“Holy shit. What the hell happened?” Isaac asks, eyes wide. Derek sits up, rubbing he back of his head.

“I think Stiles and I had a fight.” He sighs. Cora crosses her arms over her chest, frowning.

“And he _pushed_ you?”

“It wasn’t…I did something I shouldn’t have.” He gets up. “But…I should go after him. Apologize.” He starts for the door, but Cora puts a hand on his shoulder stopping him.

“Let him cool off.”

“But –”

“Derek,” She shakes her head, “trust me. I’ve known him a lot longer than you. You may be his boyfriend, but I’m his best friend. When he gets like this, it’s best to let him figure out how much of an asshole he’s been all on his own. And even though I know you can be a huge emotionally constipated _idiot_ sometimes, I don’t think _you’re_ the one who should be apologizing. He’ll be back soon.” She assures. He deflates.

“I’m worried about him. You’ve seen him.”

“I know.”

“He said it was just bad dreams, but…I don’t know.” Outside, they can hear the familiar sound of the jeep starting up and driving away.

“He used to get nightmares about his mom a lot.” Isaac admits quietly. “When we were younger. Apparently, the dementia made her say some weird stuff. He never told us what exactly she used to say though.”

“I don’t think he’d be keeping it from me if it’s about his mom.” Derek sighs. “I wish he trusted me more.”

“Oh dude, he does.” Isaac says. “You have no idea how much he hated me when I first moved in with Scott. I’m pretty sure he actually wanted to kill me. He probably still has the plan in his room somewhere.” He rolls his eyes. “It takes a lot for him to warm up to people. Compared to the rest of us, you two clicked instantly.”

Derek thinks back to the way he made an ass of himself when they first met.

Yeah. He finds that somewhat hard to believe.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles isn’t back an hour later, and Derek is _not_ worrying about it.

Well, he is.

He’s just pretending he isn’t. If Cora says to leave him be, he will. They’ve had fights before, and the other has always come back. This time is no different.

Right?

“Derek?” He turns around when Boyd calls his name.

Boyd and Erica haven’t spent as much time with the rest of the pack as they all would like, since they’re both in college and already live on their own. But they spend full moons together, and Boyd is slowly opening up to the rest of them. And he looks genuinely happy to see Derek.

“Hey. I thought you two were at Erica’s mom’s today.” Derek says

“We had to cancel, her mom got called into work.” Boyd raises a brow. “Were you _hoping_ we would be gone?”

“Maybe?” He says quickly. Then he sighs. “No? I’m not sure if I should tell anyone this yet.”

“You want to move out.” Boyd nods knowingly, and Derek narrows his eyes.

“How could you possibly know that?”

“Your pack has grown a lot in the last few months, and you house only has so many rooms. I figured you’d want your own space eventually, or maybe Stiles would push you to get your own place, since he practically lives there.” He smirks. “And you’re standing right in front of the only empty apartment in the building with a flyer in your hand, so. I took a wild guess.”

“Right.” Derek looks down at the flyer. “Stiles asked me if I’ve ever thought about it. Moving out. And I didn’t really know how to tell him no. I think part of me always thought I’d spend the rest of my life in that house.” He runs a hand down his face. “I don’t even have a job. What am I doing here?”

“I get it.” Boyd hums.

“You do?”

“I’m a born wolf, Derek. My family was just like yours.” He smiles sadly. “One of my sisters was way older than me. Her oldest was only a few years younger than me – and her whole family lived in the house with us. I thought that, when I finally got the balls to ask out the cute girl in my lit class, that would be me.” He shrugs. “Born wolves tend to stick together and stay in place.”

“But Stiles…” he shakes his head. “I guess I never really thought about what it must be like for him, going from an empty house to constant company.”

“You shouldn’t move just because he wants you to.” Boyd says gently.

“No, I know, he would never – you know he’s not the type to push. Though he _is_ the type to bottle everything up until it’s too much for him.” Derek huffs. Boyd laughs quietly.

“Him, or you?”

Derek scowls at him.

“You two had a fight, didn’t you?” Boyd asks. Derek’s shoulders slump.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He crumples up the flyer in his hand. “I’ll come back…later. Maybe after I actually have a source of income.” He claps Boyd on the shoulder as he passes. “Say hi to Erica for me.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles doesn’t get back until nearly midnight.

He never really went to sleep, but his eyes open when he hears the jeep roll down the driveway. Stiles comes up the stairs at seemingly a snail’s pace. It feels like forever before the door creaks open, and Derek is sitting up and switching on his bedside lamp.

They stare at each other.

Or, rather, Stiles stares at the wall behind Derek’s head, and Derek takes in the guilty, upset look on his face, the sour scent of anxiety, they way his heart beats fast in his chest.

It’s terrible.

‘ _I’m sorry I pushed you._ ’ He finally says. Derek throws his legs over the side of the bed.

_‘No, don’t – I’m sorry I grabbed you. I know how much you hate it and I did it anyway. I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.’_

_‘That didn’t give me the right to push you away! With_ _MAGIC_!’ Stiles shuffles forward a bit. ‘ _the grabbing isn’t why I left. I left because I hurt you, Derek. You were just being a good boyfriend and worrying about me, and I pushed you across the kitchen. I was…afraid. I’ve never been afraid to lose control like that before._ ’ He sniffs, and Derek realizes he’s _crying_. ‘ _I’m a terrible boyfriend._ ’

“Oh.” Derek breathes. ‘ _You’re NOT a terrible boyfriend._ ’ He gets up. ‘ _Come here._ ’

Stiles hesitantly starts forward, and then tips into his arms. Up close, he smells like grass and sweat and salty tears, and Derek shivers when Stiles’ cold nose touches his skin. Did he spend this whole time wandering the preserve? Where did he go? Why was he gone all day? There are some many questions Derek wants to ask. But he doesn’t. he just holds up until Stiles finally pulls back.

‘ _How can you say i'm not terrible after what I did?_ ’ He asks miserably.

‘ _Because it was an ACCIDENT. I’ve wolfed out on you before. You never tell me I’M terrible._ ’ Derek points out. Stiles huffs.

_‘You’ve never hurt me when you wolf out during a fight.’_

_‘You didn’t hurt me. Surprised me, yes, but I’m fine.’_

_‘If you were human – ‘_

_‘But I’m not.’_ Derek sighs. Stiles looks away, clearly upset, and Derek gently tilts his chin up to look at him. ‘ _You were tired. You’ve hardly been sleeping. I…I WAS angry, but I’m not anymore. It wasn’t okay, but I forgive you_.’

Stiles sniffs again. ‘ _Sometimes I think you’re too perfect.’_

_‘Right._ ’ Derek rolls his eyes, and sits back down. Stiles sits down next to him and yawns. ‘ _Stiles…PLEASE tell me what’s going on with you_.’

He fiddles with the sleeve of his hoodie for a moment before answering.

‘ _I’ve been having…dreams.’_

_‘Nightmares?’_

_‘Not exactly._ ’ Stiles sighs. ‘ _They’re almost the same every time. Sometimes I don’t remember anything, sometimes I do. But it’s always about the same thing. My mother, sitting on a tree stump, asking me if I found the gift she left for me. And when I ask her where it is, she always says she can’t help me. But that TREE._ ’ He frowns. ‘ _I can’t get it out of my head. It gives me…I feel like I should KNOW it, but I don’t. Like it’s… important.’_

_‘That’s what’s been bothering you? Why didn’t you say anything?’_

‘ _Because. I think I’m supposed to figure it out on my own? I don’t know._ ’ Stiles shakes his head. ‘ _I realize it’s kind of dumb. But… that’s not all._ ’ He takes a deep breath. ‘ _The day your dad took me down to the library, it thought I heard someone call my name. Which is ridiculous, right? I’m PROFOUNDLY deaf. I have been for six years. It scared me. I thought…’_

_‘That you were going to end up like your mom.’_ Derek realizes, sucking in a breath. Stiles nods.

_‘I should have told you. Instead I just locked it up and made everything worse.’_ He scowls down at his lap, and Derek nudges him with his shoulder.

‘ _Don’t beat yourself up over it. I’m pretty sure I do the same thing all the time. Multiple people have made it pretty clear to me today that im just as much a mess as you are, if not worse._ ’

‘ _Hey_!’ Stiles laughs.

Derek loves that sound.

He can’t stop himself from leaning in, and he revels in Stiles’ soft gasp when their lips touch. Sparks shoot down his spine when Stiles pushes him back against the bed and straddles him, stomach fluttering like this is the first time instead of the who-knows-how-many. The heady scent of arousal fills his nose, and Stiles moans when Derek works his thigh between his legs.

But he knows what’s coming.

Stiles sits up and breathes heavily for a moment, lips red and eyes bright. Derek groans.

“Don’t –”

‘ _You know I cant have sex with you when there are wolves in the house._ ’ Stiles laughs. Derek growls, annoyed and hard and cursing his parents for opting out of soundproof doors when they renovated the house.

‘ _Everyone’s asleep! I’ll try and keep quiet._ ’ Derek tries. Stiles just rolls his eyes.

‘ _Trust me, I want to. But you can’t keep quiet if your life depends on it, and I don’t know what I’d do if anyone from the pack heard us._ ’ He raises an eyebrow. ‘ _You really want your mom to hear us_?’

‘ _Don’t talk about my mom right now._ ’ Derek grimaces. Stiles rolls off him and kicks off his shoes and jeans. He yawns, and Derek sighs. ‘ _Okay. you should probably be getting some sleep right now anyway._ ’

‘ _Yeah._ ’ Stiles hums. Derek looks down sadly at his crotch for moment before switching off the light, turning, and wrapping an arm around Stiles’ waist.

And then it hits him. He sits up and flips the light back on.

‘ _That tree stump. The one in your dreams._ ’ He frowns. ‘ _I think…I think I know where it is._ ’

Stiles stares at him, eyes wide.

‘ _Really?_ ’

‘ _I think I might have seen it before. When I was little. Deaton took mom to see it once, but I don’t remember why._ ’

‘ _Do you think you could take me to it?_ ’ Stiles asks.

‘ _Yeah. It might take a bit to find it again, but I think I can._ ’ He leans back against the headboard, curious. ‘ _But…what could be so special about an old tree stump?’_

_‘I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out._ ’

 

 

* * *

 

 

A few miles away, Lydia Martin gasps, eyes flying open as she wake sup from another dream she can’t explain. The same woman who’s face she can’t place. The same question she can’t answer. Next to her, her girlfriend stirs in her sleep, making a sound that Lydia has never heard come out of another person before. She watches her breathe, the way the moonlight hits her bare chest, and tries to calm her racing heart. The dream itself is new, but this feeling isn’t.

She doesn’t know what she is. Maybe she’ll never find out. But she knows what she has to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm eventually going to ATTEMPT smut. I'll def try.
> 
> The Hale family and their ages in case anyone forgot:
> 
> Abuela (Maria Hale)  
> Talia Hale (59) + Eryk Hale (56)  
> Peter Hale (48)+ Nathalie "Lee" Hale (39)  
> Daniel "Danny" Hale (31)+ Elliot Harrison-Hale (30)  
> Laura Hale(28)  
> Derek Hale (23)  
> Cora Hale (19)  
> Lilah Hale (8)(Daniel's daughter)  
> Shawn Hale (6)(Daniel's son)  
> Oliver Hale (3)(Daniel's son)  
> Malia Hale (10 Months)
> 
> Vernon Boyd (22) + Erica Reyes (20)


	4. Chapter Four – Legolas? In MY Preserve?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles does not get much sleep.  
> At this point, the universe really must be out to get him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finally, wild animals appear! I shaved my head recently.
> 
> Happy valentines day! Enjoy!

“Stiles.”

“Wake _up_.”

It’s cold.

It’s weird, because he hasn’t woken up cold in almost a year. Derek is a cuddler and a werewolf, so more often than not Stiles wakes up slightly sweaty. But now he’s shivering, turning over on the hard ground trying to find his blanket, or Derek, to get warm again.

Wait.

The ground?

He opens his eyes and the moon stares back at him, nearly full and partially obscured by some trees. He sits up quickly, and his hands are covered in dirt. _All of him_ is. His knees are nearly black with dirt, lower legs wet, feet caked in mud from what he assumes was a long trek to his current location. He looks around, and he realizes that he’s not on the ground like he thought. He’s on a large, perfectly flat tree stump.

 _The_ tree stump.

For a second, he’s convinced this _must_ be a dream.

It has to be, right? Because he’s not a sleep walker, and he’s always dreaming about this place, and maybe it feels too real, but he’s had dreams like this before, okay? This can’t be real.

But it is.

He scrambles off the stump and falls on his ass on the ground, panicked.

How the _fuck_ did he get here?

He can’t remember what he’d been dreaming about, if he dreamt at all. The last thing he remembers is Derek pulling up the blankets and kissing his neck before he fell asleep. And then he was here.

Stiles forces himself to take a deep (shaky, _scared_ ) breath and take stock. He’s definitely still in the preserve – Derek told him that the stump was here last night, and he can _feel_ it. His magic is woven into the grass and the air around him, but there’s something else. _Other_. A magic he can’t identify.

Something moves in the corner of his eye, and he feels himself yelp, scrambling back and hitting his head on the stump.

Okay. It’s just Peter.

He’s looking at Stiles in surprise and…concern? It’s hard to tell in the dark, and Stiles can see his lips moving, but he can’t make anything out. He holds up a shaky hand.

“I can’t –” he sucks in a breath and straightens up. “Can’t see your lips.”

Peter nods, and comes over to help him up. Peter drapes his robe over him with a frown, and takes a step back.

“ _What happened?_ ”

‘ _I don’t know. I woke here._ ’ He turns toward the stump. It looks like every other tree stump he’s ever seen, if a bit bigger than usual. And yet.

 _Yet_.

He lets Peter tug him away and help him back to the Hale house. He loses track of how long it takes to get back. They pass some familiar routes along the way, and Stiles nearly falls asleep standing up a couple of times. By the time they get back, the sky is already starting to lighten. It feels like an eternity, but when he asks how long it actually was, Peter thinks for a moment before holding up a hand.

‘ _Fourteen._ ’

Fourteen _minutes_?

God, he’s exhausted.

Derek is at the door when they get back, eyes wide and worried. He wraps Stiles up in a hug the moment he’s close, and Stiles can feel the vibrations of his chest as he speaks. He wants a hot bath. He wants to crawl under a fluffy blanket and never come out. For the first time in a while, he wishes he didn’t have any fucking magic at all, because he just _knows_ that that’s what all this has been about. Magic, and the existence of it in his blood.

They usher him inside, and as much as Stiles would like to sleep, he goes for the hot shower instead. Washing away the dirt and grime reveals bruised knees and scratched calves and feet. He doesn’t know how he got there, how he even made it out of the house, when he left in the first place – and it all scares him.

 _Did whatever mom left me cause all this?_ He wonders.

He hopes not.

‘ _It’s called the N-E-M-E-T-O-N._ ’ Derek tells him when he gets out of the shower. Stiles frowns, tugging on some sweatpants. He pulls on a t-shirt before raising an eyebrow in Derek’s direction.

‘ _What?_ ’

‘ _The tree stump. It’s…more than that._ ’ Derek explains, ‘ _Peter called Deaton and looked through some books, and it’s supposed to be some kind of magic powerhouse._ ’

‘ _That sounds familiar._ ’ Stiles realizes. He must have read something about it in the books Deaton left for him. but how could he not know this already? ‘ _Does he have any idea why it would be doing this to me?’_

 _‘No. I’m sorry._ ’ Derek looks worried and disappointed and Stiles _hates it_.

‘ _Don’t be. This isn’t your fault. Unless you’re secretly a magical tree that likes to haunt my dreams._ ’ He jokes.

Derek doesn’t laugh.

‘ _You should try and get some sleep._ ’ He says instead, pressing a kiss to Stiles’ forehead. ‘ _You were gone for about two hours. You look tired_.’

Stiles rolls his eyes and huffs at that, but he’s right – he can feel the exhaustion in his bones, and he doesn’t know why. But he _does_ know sleeping can’t make it any worse.

He slips under the covers and settles in.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles does _not_ get much sleep.

At this point, the universe really must be out to get him.

He wakes up to a tugging in is chest and his magic making his hands tingle. Beside him, Derek is still sound asleep, and Stiles considers leaving him like that. But knows Derek would just be pissed about it later on, and it’s really not worth it. He shakes him awake.

‘ _There’s something in the preserve_.’ He tells him. Derek sits up quickly, hair a mess from sleep.

‘ _What is it?’_

 _‘I don’t know. Wake up the rest of the pack and meet me outside._ ’ He gets up and pulls on a sweater. His hoodie is still covered in dirt and mud, and its probably going to be a pain to try and get out now that he’s let it dry.

‘ _You’re going out alone?_ ’ Derek frowns.

‘ _I’ll be okay. I’ll only be alone for a minute anyway_.’ He assures. He opens the door and bounds down the stairs before Derek can say anything else to try and stop him, and opens the front door.

There is a stillness to the preserve that he’s sure the others will hear once they come out. He can feel the presence of something wrong deep in his bones, and a territorial feeling that he’s still not used to. Since he became the official Hale Pack Witch, the preserve has started to become less ‘Hale land’ and more ‘his’. He leans over the railing, feeling another tug towards the danger, and narrows his eyes.

It comes bursting from the trees the same time Talia and the rest exit the house.

‘It’ being something that looks more like it belongs in a Spiderman comic book, instead of prowling around in front of him. He thinks back to the bestiary Deaton left him. he’s not really done with it, but he’s pretty sure he knows what this is.

‘ _K-A-N-I-M-A._ ’ He spells, watching it warily.

“Where did it come from?” Talia asks, facing him. Stiles frowns.

‘ _I don’t know. Maybe we should find out after we capture it._ ’ He says. He steps off the porch, and the Kanima turns to face him, tail posed and ready to strike, reptilian eyes wide.

Something else comes out from the trees now, and this one, Stiles _really_ doesn’t expect.

The dude’s wearing armor – real, _actual_ armor – that reflects so much sun it might blind him. He’s holding a very _real_ looking sword, and a shield on the other hand. His hair is so white, it can’t be natural, and his ears are long and pointed. Stiles would be _so_ sure that this is just a random LARPer that got lost, if it weren’t for the huge waves of magic rolling off him, so thick it’s almost suffocating. Stiles gapes at him.

An elf.

He can’t be.

There’s no way elves are _real_.

Christ, he really needs to finish reading the books Deaton left him.

The elf coming through the trees gets the Kanima’s attention, and its thin forked tongue slithers out of its mouth. It skitters up a tree lightning fast, and Stiles can still feel it nearby, although he really can’t tell where it is. The elf looks at him, mouth moving but not forming anything recognizable.

Talia brushes past him, her back to him, so he can’t see what she’s saying. The elf bows – _bows_ – before her, and the trees rustle. The Kanima’s going to strike.

Stiles casts a binding spell, hands quick, fingers sparking, and the Kanima freezes in midair. The elf turns around quickly, startled.

“Thank you, young witch.” Stiles reads. He can’t really answer, his hands held out to keep the Kanima in place, but he nods.

Binding spells like this take effort and concentration, on his part. It’s not something he’s really good at, considering his ADHD and the fact that he hasn’t taken his meds yet. He tries his best, though, ignoring Talia talking beside him, and the presence of the pack coming closer.

Sweat trickles down his back.

“Stiles.” He _hears_.

He yelps, concentration breaking, and the Kanima comes down in front of him. His eyes widen and –

Derek jumps in front of him. The Kanima’s tail swipes across his neck in the blink of an eye, and Derek’s eyes flash, claws coming out and brow shifting. He snarls, reaching forward, and then he lists to one side, and drops.

Stiles _screams_.

The Kanima looks up from where it’s crouched over Derek. Its horrible tongue comes slithering out again, claws poised over Derek’s chest, and Stiles drops to the ground and pounds his fists to it on instinct. The Kanima goes flying back, hitting a tree and cracking it in half. They both hit the ground with a thump he can _feel_. His hands move in a pattern he doesn’t recognize, but he knows it’ll work anyway.

He just doesn’t know _how_.

The ground opens up and swallows the Kanima whole. It closes around him like it was never disturbed in the first place.

For a second, Stiles just stares, breathing hard.

But then he remembers Derek, his _boyfriend_ , laying frozen on the ground, and he scrambles over to him. He shakes him, pushes him, but doesn’t get any response. Something pulls him back, away, and his hands are sparking before he realizes that it’s _Eryk_.

He’s talking, mouth moving, but Stiles honestly doesn’t have the patience to try and read it. He struggles, and Cora comes up to him, eyes wide.

‘ _He’s fine!_ ’ she says quickly. ‘ _He’s talking, you just can’t – he’s paralyzed, but he’s okay!_ ’

Oh.

Stiles stops.

“Oh.” He breathes. Eryk releases his grip.

‘ _A Kanima’s venom only paralyzes – it won't kill him. he’ll be fine in a few hours._ ’ The elf man signs. Stiles nods.

Wait.

‘ _You…know ASL_?’ he asks, incredulous.

‘ _Of course. I know every human language, past and present. All elves do_.’ He says simply. He doesn’t offer any more explanation. Stiles huffs.

How convenient.

‘ _My name is A-R-A-T-H-I-E-L, knight of H-A-V-E-N. A pleasure to meet you, young witch._ ’ He continues, bowing. Stiles stares at him.

How did his life come to this?

 

 

* * *

 

 

When questioned, Arathiel reveals that he has no idea how he ended up in this _realm_ , let alone in the preserve. He says he was escorting his princess back to the castle (Stiles will sit back and think about how ridiculous this all is later, when he has time, and isn’t worried about the fabric of the universe or some shit like that) when he was suddenly just here, being attacked by the Kanima. They’d appeared together not long before Stiles felt them in the preserve. Arathiel’s fought a few Kanimas before, but he isn’t sure why this was attacking him – they’re usually controlled by masters, incapable of thinking on their own.

“I suspect I came through a rift of some kind, although I don’t know how or why.” He says. Stiles growls and slams the ancient book in his hands closed.

There is _nothing_ that sounds like what Arathiel has been telling him in any of these books. Nothing about masterless Kanimas, or random rifts in reality. He’s starting to think that someone is playing an elaborate prank on him. Is the world only pretending to be silent when he’s around?

‘ _What’s wrong?_ ’ Cora asks. Stiles gestures towards the growing pile of books he’s searched through, eyes wide.

‘ _What do you think?’_

_‘No one said you have to solve the problem right away.’_

_‘But they’re expecting me to, aren’t they? Isn’t that what Deaton always did? Solve the problem with time to spare?_ ’ he huffs, running a hand through his hair.

‘ _Deaton’s problems weren’t exactly like this. And he’d been doing it for years. Take a breath. Go check on Derek or something. I’ll call Elliot, have them look through while you relax._ ’ She tries. Stiles’ shoulders slum, but he nods. He _should_ go see if Derek’s movement is improving. It’s been about two hours, he should be almost done healing.

Cora turns abruptly towards the door, panic on her face. Stiles waves a hand at her.

‘ _What is it?_ ’

‘ _Laura and her girlfriend are coming up the driveway!_ ’ She signs quickly.

Stiles doesn’t think it’s a problem for .5 seconds, before remembering that there’s a very much real, but definitely should not be, _Elf_ sitting on the couch.

 _Shit_ , he mouths, putting his hands on his hips.

‘ _Stiles! Hide him!_ ’

‘ _Where?!’_ he pulls the elf to his feet.

Stiles can sense Laura and Lydia, and her unrecognizable magic, at the door. He looks around quickly, spots Derek’s favorite beanie on the coffee table, and tugs it on over Arathiel’s ears right as the door knob turns.

Laura and Lydia pause at the threshold, eyeing the three of them.

Next to him, the elf speaks, and starts to bow. Stiles steps in font of him, stopping him.

“’This is my cousin…Art. He’s…LARPing.’” Cora interprets for him. Laura’s eyes flick from the elf, to his ridiculously shiny armor, to the books all around them.

“Let’s go up to my room.” She says after a moment. She tugs Lydia up the stairs behind her, and Stiles waits until Cora nods to release the breath he was holding and groan into his hands. When he’s done rubbing a galaxy into his eyes, he shoves the elf in her direction.

‘ _I’m gonna go check on Derek. You deal with him._ ’

‘ _Wait here with him. I’ll go get him something…less shiny to change into._ ’ She says. He nods wearily and watches her disappear upstairs. The elf looks at him.

‘ _This is a very diverse and interesting pack you have._ ’ He says. Stiles raises an eyebrow.

‘ _What do you mean?’_

 _‘It’s the first one I’ve seen to have a witch as skilled as yourself, a coyote, AND a woman of the Fae._ ’ He clarifies. Stiles holds up his hands.

‘ _Wait. What do you mean, ‘woman of the Fae’? And what coyote?_ ’

‘ _I’m magic, like you. I can sense them._ ’ He frowns. ‘ _Do you not know? The lovely red haired girl is at least part Fae, if not fully._ ’

Stiles sucks in a breath.

 _That’s_ what the weird magic he sensed in her is. It must be.

‘ _A banshee, if I’m not mistaken. She carries a cloud of death around her._ ’ The elf continues. Stiles freezes.

Banshees, he’s familiar with. Even if he’s never met one personally – or, he thought he didn’t, until now – they’re well known among the magical community. Screams powerful enough to throw whole people back, rupture ear drums, _deafen_ even a werewolf, if used properly.

The ability to predict death is the thing he’s really concerned about, however.

‘ _She reacted so weird when she first met me._ ’ He says, realization dawning.

It’s probably because she had a vision.

A vision of _him_.

He thinks back to all the strange looks she’s been giving him when they touch, her weird questions about how much time he spends alone.

_“Have you…been in the preserve…lately?” She asks haltingly. “I’ve just heard horror stories about the things that happen here. I’m kind of afraid to [can’t read] around alone.”_

She saw something.

‘ _Young witch…if a banshee has seen your death…_ ’ His brows draw up, hesitance to continue written on his face. Stiles knows what he’s going to say. ‘ _They are never wrong. The visions always play out. ALWAYS._ ’

“I know.” He says softly.

Cora bounds down the stairs, some clothes in her hand, and thrusts them in the elf’s direction.

“ _These used to be my brother’s. He’s not as tall as you, but he’s the closest._ ” She glances at Stiles and frowns. ‘ _Hey. Are you okay? You look_ –’

‘ _Fine_.’ He interrupts her, forcing himself to give her a smile. ‘ _just worried about Derek. I’m gonna go see him now, okay? You good with this guy?’_

 _‘Yeah. Im good._ ’ He looks unconvinced, but he leaves anyway, heading towards the guest room, where Talia and Eryk and Derek are. He forces himself to pause and take a breath. Push the thoughts of what Lydia’s vision cold have been out of his head, if she even _is_ a banshee.

Maybe she isn’t.

He hopes she isn’t. Because if she is…

Well.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It’s not his mom, this time.

It’s the same stump, and the same blank grey mist around them, but his om’s been replaced by a guy in old, kinda dirty clothes. He sits with his back to Stiles, his legs drawn up to his chest.

“You’re running out of time.” He says. “This never should have happened.”

‘ _What do you mean?_ ’ Stiles asks, desperate, confused, _scared_.

The man turns around, and Stiles wakes up.

He can’t for the life of him remember what he dreamed about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: how are stiles and this elf even gonna communicate????  
> Me:...  
> Me: Elves have allspeak.


	5. Coming Back Soon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a super quick explanation for why there hasn't been a update

I debated not posting this, but i didn't want any of you to think i abandoned this series. 

I just stopped because i started watching Umbrella Academy and i had some other fic ideas it gave me that i needed to get out. i knew that if i didn't write them, i'd try and find a way to work them into this series, and that's just not possible. It happens a lot and i always end up ruining stories like this, so i decided to take a break and write the other ideas out - the other idea being my fic '[A Haunting Game of Telephone](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18068279/chapters/42704618)'. Once it's finished ill get back to this one! I have this whole fic planned out already, i jsut need to write it, so it shouldn't be too long.

Thanks for sticking with this series, and i'll be back soon!

**Author's Note:**

> [My tumblr](http://littleredtheboy.tumblr.com/). Come cry over Stiles with me.


End file.
